SWA vs AA
12-17-2019, 06:24 PM
#11
Furloughed Again?!
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Position: Boeing 737
Posts: 4,795
SWA vs AA
Life was a lot easier when you just went to the first airline that called.
I agree with everyone here re: culture. Strike it from your list, it’s unimportant.
You’ll probably have a great career either place that you to, but don’t chase culture. It’s really subjective and a lot will depend on you.
All that said, go to AA because of the rapid seniority progression. Good luck!
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I agree with everyone here re: culture. Strike it from your list, it’s unimportant.
You’ll probably have a great career either place that you to, but don’t chase culture. It’s really subjective and a lot will depend on you.
All that said, go to AA because of the rapid seniority progression. Good luck!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited by ZapBrannigan; 12-17-2019 at 06:45 PM.
12-17-2019, 06:58 PM
#13
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2010
Position: DOWNGRADE COMPLETE: Thanks Gary. Thanks SWAPA.
Posts: 6,605
Originally Posted by Zard
Culture is dead unless you work in the puzzle palace and have all the time in the world to go mainline koolaid at the next deck party. Try paying your mortgage with culture and lemme know how that works out. Go wherever you're gonna have the best seniority as fast as possible. hint: that ain't southwest, especially with the max debacle.
The only downsides I can see to AA is the debt on their books and PBS. They have enough retirements that you'll be moving up quickly and out of the furlough zone relatively rapidly. Faster upgrade, bigger airplanes.
All things being equal, you'll do fine either place. I'm proud of where I work, but only inasmuch as it took me a ton of hard work for a decade and a half to get there. I don't really care who I work for as long as the checks don't bounce and they don't call me on my days off.
The only downsides I can see to AA is the debt on their books and PBS. They have enough retirements that you'll be moving up quickly and out of the furlough zone relatively rapidly. Faster upgrade, bigger airplanes.
All things being equal, you'll do fine either place. I'm proud of where I work, but only inasmuch as it took me a ton of hard work for a decade and a half to get there. I don't really care who I work for as long as the checks don't bounce and they don't call me on my days off.
12-17-2019, 07:37 PM
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2010
Position: DOWNGRADE COMPLETE: Thanks Gary. Thanks SWAPA.
Posts: 6,605
OP.....here’s the unfiltered facts of your dilemma:
You’ll have a great career at either AA or SWA, but for different reasons and here’s why:
AA you’ll enjoy insane seniority progression throughout the 2020s. By the end of the decade you’ll be a widebody captain where at SWA you’ll be a B737 Cptn doing crap layovers instead of 24 hour + international layovers.
SWA you’ll enjoy highly efficient trips (IF and I repeat....IF you take a little time to work the system to trade into more efficient/better paying trips.....highly worth it, I assure you.). SWA is also a much better run company that has a dramatically better balance sheet than AA. Like.... DRAMATICALLY.
CULTURE: This should be at the bottom of your list. I’m on my fourth airline and my theory is that the percentage of A-holes you fly with is directly proportional to the their degree of job satisfaction. Theoretically you’ll fly with more miserable people at AA than SWA.
Honestly (and I think this applies to AA, UAL, DLA.), if you have no desire to live the international widebody lifestyle then go to SWA. At least at today’s snapshot, you’ll fly more efficient trips and have more days off for the same amount of $ as your legacy counterparts. If however you want to maximize the $/days off ratio, go to AA and get on a widebody ASAP.
Bottom line will depend on what you’d like to ultimately do, but it sounds like you should go to AA and enjoy the São Paulo layovers as an FO after three years and a captain after 10 years as opposed to the Tulsa layovers as an FO after Day 1 or the Tulsa layovers as a captain after year 10.
You’ll have a great career at either AA or SWA, but for different reasons and here’s why:
AA you’ll enjoy insane seniority progression throughout the 2020s. By the end of the decade you’ll be a widebody captain where at SWA you’ll be a B737 Cptn doing crap layovers instead of 24 hour + international layovers.
SWA you’ll enjoy highly efficient trips (IF and I repeat....IF you take a little time to work the system to trade into more efficient/better paying trips.....highly worth it, I assure you.). SWA is also a much better run company that has a dramatically better balance sheet than AA. Like.... DRAMATICALLY.
CULTURE: This should be at the bottom of your list. I’m on my fourth airline and my theory is that the percentage of A-holes you fly with is directly proportional to the their degree of job satisfaction. Theoretically you’ll fly with more miserable people at AA than SWA.
Honestly (and I think this applies to AA, UAL, DLA.), if you have no desire to live the international widebody lifestyle then go to SWA. At least at today’s snapshot, you’ll fly more efficient trips and have more days off for the same amount of $ as your legacy counterparts. If however you want to maximize the $/days off ratio, go to AA and get on a widebody ASAP.
Bottom line will depend on what you’d like to ultimately do, but it sounds like you should go to AA and enjoy the São Paulo layovers as an FO after three years and a captain after 10 years as opposed to the Tulsa layovers as an FO after Day 1 or the Tulsa layovers as a captain after year 10.
12-17-2019, 07:40 PM
#17
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2016
Position: Pilot
Posts: 174
OP, I was in the same boat as you. I wanted to live in the DFW area so WN and AA were my 1a and 1b. I received a CJO from both, but went with WN. I've been here less than a year but I have no complaints. It seems everyone in this thread is bitter, but I can tell you that I haven't ran into an ******* yet. I love coming to work and genuinely enjoy the flying. The widebody/int'l stuff had some appeal to me, as I did that type of flying in the military, and the seniority movement at AA was hard to ignore, but for me it came down to where I'd be happiest. I know a lot of guys/gals at a lot of airlines, and even some at AA told me to go WN. Everyone I know at WN is happy to be here. For me, it was about making the most amount of money in the fewest amount of days gone from home. I don't mind working hard for a couple days in a row if I get to enjoy the rest at home. And when I say work hard, I mean shoot an ILS or two, fire off a few radio calls, and load up on pretzels and Deja Blue. This is the easiest flying job I've ever had, so it's hard to call it work. Good luck!
12-17-2019, 08:44 PM
#18
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2014
Posts: 679
AA has 5 times the debt as SWA. They will be the next to file Chapter 11. I’d go to the airline that has never furloughed or filed for bankruptcy. You’ll make enough at SWA to buy first class tickets for the international vacations you want to take the wife on.
12-17-2019, 09:19 PM
#19
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2013
Position: A320 CA
Posts: 2,297
AA pilot here. I would not put PBS as a negative in your decision matrix (especially as a military guy whose never used either). It’s more of a push, yes vacation conflict is nice, but schedule wise, PBS is great. You can build the schedule you want...takes some seniority, but that will happen quickly over the next few years.
12-17-2019, 09:39 PM
#20
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2014
Posts: 90
I took an upgrade at American at year 6 (737), and will most likely spend the majority of my career in the left seat of a wide body down the road. The quality of life for my family and I has never been better. I also live in base so that helps. Southwest is a great company, and so is American Airlines! Best of luck to you in your career aspirations.
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